Book Review: The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

Paperback, 304 pages

Plume (April 26, 2011)

Source: 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for my participation in the Manic Mommies Book Club

Summary from Goodreads:

A heartbroken woman stumbled upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author.

In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after.

Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily's good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life.

My Thoughts:

The Violets of March was a quick and entertaining read.  Anyone who understands my reading preferences, would know that I would enjoy the embedded diary entries within the novel.  Reading books which include letters or diary excerpts are included among my favorite things.  I especially enjoyed the anonymity of the diary's author - I thought that it was interesting that had to wait to discover who was telling the story.

Emily's interaction with her Aunt Bee was very sweet.  Bee provided Emily with a very different relationship than the one that Emily had with her own mother.  Yet, despite their closeness, Bee has a secret that placed a strain on their relationship, and on Emily's ability to move on.

I enjoyed the book very much.  While the ending was not completely predictable, I did have a sense of where the characters would end up.  I wasn't deterred by this and took time to enjoy how the story unfolded.  I would recommend this book to lovers of women's fiction.  I am looking forward to discussing it with the Manic Mommies Book Club tonight!

Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to review this book as part of the Manic Mommies Book Club.

4 Stars!

Book Review: 22 Brittania Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

Hardcover, 336 pages

Penguin Group (USA), April 26, 2011                   

Source: 

Personal Copy

Summary from Goodreads:

"Housekeeper or housewife?" the soldier asks Silvana as she and eight- year-old Aurek board the ship that will take them from Poland to England at the end of World War II. There her husband, Janusz, is already waiting for them at the little house at 22 Britannia Road. But the war has changed them all so utterly that they'll barely recognize one another when they are reunited. "Survivor," she answers.

Silvana and Aurek spent the war hiding in the forests of Poland. Wild, almost feral Aurek doesn't know how to tie his own shoes or sleep in a bed. Janusz is an Englishman now-determined to forget Poland, forget his own ghosts from the way, and begin a new life as a proper English family. But for Silvana, who cannot escape the painful memory of a shattering wartime act, forgetting is not a possibility.


My Thoughts:

22 Britannia Road was an accurate and intriguing work of historical fiction.  The novel alternated between sharing the story of reunited couple Silvana and Janusz, after the end of World War II and telling their separate experiences during the war.  Their stories during the war were extremely rough - they are situations that I cannot even imagine having to endure. 

The book itself fell a little flat for me.  The approach of switching between wartime and post-war narration was very distracting.  Even though I understood how this method allowed the stories and secrets to unfold, it did not flow as seamlessly as I would have liked.  The horrible experiences that Silvana and Janusz encountered were often extreme, yet I did not feel the emotional tugs of sympathy, outrage and horror that would be appropriate.

I appreciate the story that was told and I think that the author's research into the time period was extremely good.  Personally, I think that it was an amazing idea for a story.  Unfortunately, I just wasn't as invested in the characters as I would have liked to have been.

Have you read 22 Brittania Road?  Is there something that I missed that I should reconsider?

Book Review: Getting Things Done by David Allen

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

Paperback, 267 pages
Penguin (Non-Classics), December 31, 2002

Source: 
Personal Copy

Summary from Goodreads:

In today's world, yesterday's methods just don't work. In Getting Things Done, veteran coach and management consultant David Allen shares the breakthrough methods for stress-free performance that he has introduced to tens of thousands of people across the country. Allen's premise is simple: our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective productivity and unleash our creative potential. In Getting Things Done Allen shows how to:

• Apply the "do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it" rule to get your in-box to empty
• Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations
• Plan projects as well as get them unstuck
• Overcome feelings of confusion, anxiety, and being overwhelmed
• Feel fine about what you're not doing

From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Done can transform the way you work, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down.

My Thoughts:

I happened upon Getting Things Done when I was trying to spend available credits on Audible.com.  It had wonderful reviews and the thought of "stress-free productivity" frankly appealed to me.  Allen's book is a step-by-step guide to organizing all of the actions that you have, both professionally and personally.  I was expecting some standard, fluffy fare about personal mission statements and time management, but Getting Things Done is much more practical than that.

Allen begins with instructions for gathering everything in your life - yes EVERYTHING - into an in basket.  Every task that needs to be completed, every nagging chore that you have been putting off, even those lists of potential vacations that you think might be nice someday.  The goal is to spend dedicated time processing all of these actions, in order to develop a complete list of items that need to be completed, each placed into their proper category.  Allen admits that the idea is full of common sense, however most individuals fail to implement the approach without proper guidance.  And for those who have successfully prepared their immaculate to-do lists, they do not continue to maintain their system.

Since listening to the audio book, I have purchased the paperback version.  The steps and checklists will serve me much better in print.  While I haven't yet taken a weekend, or a few quiet days to kick start the plan from the beginning, I have already implemented a few of the recommendations:

• I bought a label maker and hundreds of file folders.  The top drawer of my filing cabinet is now beautifully organized.  It was a great start for all of the papers that needed to have a permanent home
• I purchased a three ring binder with tabbed dividers.  While this wasn't a specific recommendation of the book, I thought that it would be the ideal way for me to organize my list of projects, next actions, agendas, and someday/maybe lists.  This approach has already helped me stay organized for the ten (yes TEN) recurring meetings that I personally facilitate each week.
• I am working to keep my email boxes near empty, by filing or deleting anything where I do not have an immediate action.  This has proven the most difficult task so far, because of the sheer volume of mail that I get each day.  But I'm trying.

Getting Things Done is a very practical, helpful tool to assist individuals with organization.  I plan on a reread this summer and am hoping to take the time for a start-to-finish implementation.

If you're interested in hearing more about this book, I would recommend a visit to Simon at Self-Helpless.  He has started his year-long journey through twelve popular self-help books with Getting Things Done.

Book Review: The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy

The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy

Paperback, 416 pages

Hyperion (June 28th 2011)

Source: 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Shelf Awareness

Summary from Goodreads:

As World War II draws closer and closer to Guernsey, Vivienne de la Mare knows that there will be sacrifices to be made. Not just for herself, but for her two young daughters and for her mother-in-law, for whom she cares while her husband is away fighting. What she does not expect is that she will fall in love with one of the enigmatic German soldiers who take up residence in the house next door to her home. As their relationship intensifies, so do the pressures on Vivienne. Food and resources grow scant, and the restrictions placed upon the residents of the island grow with each passing week. Though Vivienne knows the perils of her love affair with Gunther, she believes that she can keep their relationship and her family safe. But when she becomes aware of the full brutality of the Occupation, she must decide if she is willing to risk her personal happiness for the life of a stranger.

My Thoughts:

Simply put, I adored this book.  The characters, the setting, the time period, and the themes of this book drew me in from the first page.  The book's main character Vivienne de la Mare was richly drawn, and the novel captured so many different aspects of her life.  I think that it was a perfect illustration of how the roles of wife, mother, mother-in-law, friend, citizen, and woman can stand in stark contrast to one another. 

Like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which I also loved, the book was set in Guernsey during the World War II German occupation.  As an American, my first inclination is to be judgemental of the German soldiers:  Germans Bad, Allies Good!  However, the author invoked not only the political and nationalistic arguments for the occupation - she also strongly captured the human element.  The citizens of Guernsey had different approaches to coexisting with the Germans, and the Germans, some of which who were accidental soldiers, did not all feel the same way about their circumstances.  I was impressed with how this book moved me to think about some items with a different perspective.

Even then, however, the book included horrific aspects of the war including the Organsation Todt, where prisoners were sent to Guernsey and lived in wretched conditions.  These things were not glossed over and were given the respect and attention that they deserved within the story. 

I have so many feelings for this book, and how it wove so many stories, conflicting duties and feelings together so well.  It was exciting and heart-wrenching, entertaining and educational.  And, like a cherry on top, it had a perfect, perfect ending. 

I would highly recommend The Soldiers Wife to lovers of historical fiction and women's fiction.  Please read it.

Book Review: The Bee-Loud Glade by Steve Himmer

The Bee-Loud Glade by Steve Himmer

Paperback, 224 pages

Atticus Books (April 4th 2011)

Source:
I won a copy of this book in a giveaway at Erin Reads

Summary from Goodreads:
When Finch, a recently fired marketer of plastic plants, takes a vow of silence to live as a hermit on an eccentric billionaire's estate, he finds that his attempt to contemplate nature and deeper truths is foiled by his noisy inner thoughts and his new employer's booming demands.

My Thoughts:
The Bee-Loud Glade is not the kind of story that I would find myself drawn to, purely from the summary or the words on the back cover.  The book oozes eccentricity and an off-the-beaten-path story line.  Despite these differences from my normal fare, I did enjoy it. 

Himmer is a fantastic storyteller and expertly drew the reader into Finch's head and into his experience.  In Finch's first day as a hermit, he described his tunic to be "prickling like millions of dagger-sharp fibers were sticking and stabbing my cotton- and nylon-spoiled skin, and I burst into bright hives all over."  This one sentence, so effectively written, instantly made me itch.  This type of description - of Finch's physical experience, his emotional state, his thoughts and reaction to the world outside of his glade - were prevalent throughout this novel. 

It was beautifully written.  Of that, there is no doubt.  And I appreciated the book for this beauty and Himmer's ability to weave my mind into Finch's experience.  I struggled though, because I couldn't get out of my own head enough to take the leap of faith that this novel required.  Could it have happened?  Absolutely.  Was it realistic enough for me to believe it and be part of it?  Almost, but not quite.

For fear of giving away the ending, I can't expand too much on how I felt about it.  It wasn't what I expected. It wasn't what I'd hoped for.  Is it selfish of me to hope that Himmer will give us a sequel, so that I can see more of Finch's life unfold.

Book Review: The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate

The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate

Paperback, 352 pages
Gallery (October 26th 2010)

Source: 
I received a copy of this book for my participation in the Manic Mommies Book Club

Summary from Goodreads:

Holly Maguire's grandmother Camilla was the Love Goddess of Blue Crab Island, Maine--a Milanese fortune-teller who could predict the right man for you, and whose Italian cooking was rumored to save marriages. Holly has been waiting years for her unlikely fortune: her true love will like sa cordula, an unappetizing old-world delicacy. But Holly can't make a decent marinara sauce, let alone sa cordula. Maybe that's why the man she hopes to marry breaks her heart. So when Holly inherits Camilla's Cucinotta, she's determined to forget about fortunes and love and become an Italian cooking teacher worthy of her grandmother's legacy. But Holly's four students are seeking much more than how to make Camilla's chicken alla Milanese. Simon, a single father, hopes to cook his way back into his daughter's heart. Juliet, Holly's childhood friend, hides a painful secret. Tamara, a serial dater, can't find the love she longs for. And twelve-year-old Mia thinks learning to cook will stop her dad, Liam, from marrying his phony lasagna-queen girlfriend. As the class gathers each week, adding Camilla's essential ingredients of wishes and memories in every pot and pan, unexpected friendships and romances are formed--and tested. Especially when Holly falls hard for Liam . . . and learns a thing or two about finding her own recipe for happiness.

My Thoughts:

The Love Goddess' Cooking School was an enjoyable read and combined two of my favorite things - reading and cooking!  The book was a fast read, which I sailed through in a few nights.  I enjoyed the interaction between the characters, the struggle of the main character Holly to learn more about herself, and her aspirations to become the cook that her grandmother knew that she could be.

The book is sprinkled with descriptions of authentic Italian dishes, which made me quite hungry and anxious to try out the recipes offered at the back of the book.  And while I found that the story line was fairly predictable, I think that many lovers of women's fiction will enjoy it.

Thanks to the publisher for allowing the Manic Mommies Book Club to read this novel - it was a cute and fun summer read! 

3 stars!

Book Review: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Paperback, 336 pages
Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (March 1, 2011)

Source:

Personal Copy

Summary from Goodreads:

Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.

In this lively and compelling account of that year, Rubin carves out her place alongside the authors of bestselling memoirs such as Julie and Julia, The Year of Living Biblically, and Eat, Pray, Love. With humor and insight, she chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier.

Rubin didn't have the option to uproot herself, nor did she really want to; instead she focused on improving her life as it was. Each month she tackled a new set of resolutions: give proofs of love, ask for help, find more fun, keep a gratitude notebook, forget about results. She immersed herself in principles set forth by all manner of experts, from Epicurus to Thoreau to Oprah to Martin Seligman to the Dalai Lama to see what worked for her—and what didn't.

Her conclusions are sometimes surprising—she finds that money can buy happiness, when spent wisely; that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that "treating" yourself can make you feel worse; that venting bad feelings doesn't relieve them; that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference—and they range from the practical to the profound.

Written with charm and wit, The Happiness Project is illuminating yet entertaining, thought-provoking yet compulsively readable. Gretchen Rubin's passion for her subject jumps off the page, and reading just a few chapters of this book will inspire you to start your own happiness project.

My Thoughts:

Five stars.  Hands down. I really loved this book.  In fact, this is the first time that I have read a book on my Kindle, and then went out to purchase the hard copy, so that I can have it for reference.  The Happiness Project is not the kind of book that you start, finish, and then put on the shelf.  It is a book that opened my eyes to many of the ways in which I have been stuck.  It is also a book that I will pick up for a periodic refresher on how I can take charge of my own mood.

I heard about The Happiness Project while watching the CBS Sunday Morning show.  I have been in a bit of a funk lately about work and how I can possibly fit in everything that I want to do in life.  You know - how can I be happier?  So that evening, I downloaded the book and started to read. 

I enjoyed how Rubin walked through her own happiness project.  Instead of being a self-help book where the reader is told how they can improve their life by a know-it-all, plastic, perfect author, Rubin instead was honest about her life and how she was working to change her outlook.  Some suggestions and exercises that Rubin followed will apply to all readers, but some will not - she was very up front about the fact that this was a happiness project that was her own.  She was exploring ways to make herself a happier person.

The takeaways for me are countless, however I think that one of Rubin's Twelve Commandments - to Be Gretchen - really struck a chord with me.  How many times do we consider activities that we should be doing, or working to achieve things that we should be achieving instead of focusing on things that make us who we are?  A few years back, I developed a list of goals for myself and when I looked back on those goals, a few were things that I didn't even want to do - they were there because I felt that a should do them.  Getting an MBA is one of those things.  I dedicated several semesters in pursuit of this goal that I hated.  Despite a 4.0 GPA, I felt as if I was contributing more to the learning experience of those in my team (read: doing all the work to get the high grade) than I was to my own education.  So I stopped.  And I crossed that goal off the list.  There are more things in my life that I need to put in this bucket.

Rubin also dedicated an entire month of work to Lighten Up!  My inner control freak wanted to skip right past that chapter.  But I didn't.  I think that The Happiness Project held up a much-needed mirror in front of my face, so that I can realize how I really need to stop being so serious all the time.  J won't care if I don't play Barbies just the right way - she just wants me to play.

I'm so glad that I took a bit of a break from fiction to read this book.  I have become a faithful follower of The Happiness Project blog, which gives me new perspective almost every day.  This book won't be for everyone, but I truly enjoyed it.  It's always nice to learn a little bit more about yourself by seeing what others have learned in their own lives.

 

5 Stars!

Book Review: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon

Paperback, 656 pages

Delta (August 10, 1998)

Source: 

Personal Copy

Summary from Goodreads:

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

My Thoughts:

Outlander is by far my favorite book this year.  I am a proclaimed historical fiction lover, so the way that Outlander dipped one toe in post-World War II Scotland and then stepped backward over 200 years to the Scottish Highlands was fascinating. 

I know that many readers shy away from time travel or books that require you to suspend a bit of reality, however I believe that the flow of this novel will appeal to many.  While Claire Randall did take a trip back in time, it was not overdone, or even boldly unrealistic.  In fact, I was often very excited by the way that the author was able to weave in tidbits of the 20th century into Claire's thoughts and her choices.  One passage stood out to me in this respect:

"Looking down on the assembly, standing patiently in the drizzle awaiting a verdict, I suddenly had a vivid understanding of something.  Like so many, I had heard, appalled, the reports that trickled out of postwar Germany; the stories of deportations and mass murder, of concentration camps and burnings.  And like so many others had done, and would do, for years to come, I had asked myself, 'How could the people have let it happen?  They must have known, must have seen the trucks, the coming and going, the fences and the smoke.  How could they stand by and do nothing?'  Well, now I knew.

...Because to step outside the group, let alone to stand against it, was for uncounted thousands of years death to the creature who dared it.  To stand against a crowd would take something more than ordinary courage; something that went beyond human instinct.  And I feared I did not have it, and fearing, was ashamed."

This novel was also a very powerful love story.  I was moved more than once by the details of emotion and love between the characters.  Gabaldon has a true gift for conveying desire and longing and the strong want for protection.  As a warning, there are quite a few pretty racy scenes in the novel, so this book is not for those who are easy to blush. 

I highly recommend this novel to lovers of historical fiction, love stories, and books where strong women are central to a book's story.  I can't believe that I had not heard of Outlander until now.  It is very much my kind of novel, and I can picture myself this summer by the pool with my nose poked into the next books in the series. 

Book Review: Exit the Actress by Priya Parmar

Exit the Actress by Priya Parmar
Paperback, 464 pages
Touchstone, (February 1, 2011)

Source:
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my participation in the Manic Mommies Book Club.

Summary from the publisher's website:
While selling oranges in the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, sweet and sprightly Ellen "Nell" Gwyn impresses the theater's proprietors with a wit and sparkle that belie her youth and poverty. She quickly earns a place in the company, narrowly avoiding the life of prostitution to which her sister has already succumbed. As her roles evolve from supporting to starring, the scope of her life broadens as well. Soon Ellen is dressed in the finest fashions, charming the theatrical, literary, and royal luminaries of Restoration England.

Ellen grows up on the stage, experiencing first love and heartbreak and eventually becoming the mistress of Charles II. Despite his reputation as a libertine, Ellen wholly captures his heart—and he hers—but even the most powerful love isn't enough to stave off the gossip and bitter court politics that accompany a royal romance.

Telling the story through a collection of vibrant seventeenth-century voices ranging from Ellen's diary to playbills, letters, gossip columns, and home remedies, Priya Parmar brings to life the story of an endearing and delightful heroine.

My Thoughts:
I have been looking forward to reading Exit the Actress for months.  My friend Mari from Bookworm with a View introduced me to author Priya Parmar's blog.  I followed along with Parmar's experiences with publishing, cover design, photo sessions and the big publication day - it was so much fun to see an author's excitement about giving birth to her first novel, and seeing her be showered with praise over the book!
 
When the book was announced as the May selection for the Manic Mommies Book Club, I was thrilled.  I resisted the urge to pick up a copy when I saw it on the shelf at Target and waited patiently for it to arrive on my doorstop in late April. 

Exit the Actress is the first book in a long time where I have sacrificed much-needed sleep in order to read.  Historical fiction is my favorite genre.  When you combine that genre with an epistolary writing style, as Exit the Actress does primarily through journal entries and letters, it makes me swoon.  This format offers a unique insight into the writer's emotions and personality.  There is also an familiarity that I enjoy - possibly a slight voyeuristic look into the character's head. 

I now understand why Parmar often wrote about being able to introduce Nell to new readers. After reading the book and learning about Nell's character through her diary, I do feel like I was introduced to a living, breathing person.  It was quite extraordinary.  Nell was an amazing woman and I would have loved to have been her friend.

This novel also allowed me to learn a great deal about 17th century England.  The letters between King Charles and his mother and sisters provided clarity on the setting and time period.  In the history books, royalty and historical events are often overly sanitized.  Exit the Actress successfully showed the humans behind the events.

I would recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction, those who like a good love story, or enjoy seeing a strong woman persevere.  Exit the Actress was well worth the wait - Congratulations to Priya Parmar on her first novel.  I am looking forward to what comes next!

4 Stars!

 

Book Review and Blog Tour: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens



A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Version Read:  Public Domain Books (December 1, 2010)

Original Publication:  1859

Source: 

I downloaded a free copy of this book from Amazon.com to my Kindle

Summary from Goodreads:

'Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death; -- the last, much the easiest to bestow, O Guillotine!'  -- A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

After eighteen years as a political prisoner in the Bastille, the ageing Doctor Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter in England. There the lives of two very different men, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer, become enmeshed through their love for Lucie Manette. From the tranquil roads of London, they are drawn against their will to the vengeful, bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror, and they soon fall under the lethal shadow of La Guillotine.

My Thoughts:

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, A Tale of Two Cities has been the classic that I have wanted to read, started to read, but yet never fully read. I will say that no more!

Do I like historical fiction? Most definitely

Do I like stories about love triangles? Roger that

Do I like tales of good overcoming evil? Uh huh

Do I like stories where I learn something? Yep

Do I like plot lines that take me somewhere that I didn't expect? Can I get a Hell yes?!

I finally finished it - but, why oh why was I so scared? A Tale of Two Cities started off slow - yes, even the fifth or sixth time in my life, it was still slow. But I was committed, and I pushed through, and then I was happy. The language was sometimes difficult and required more concentration than my tired brain could take in the late hours of the evening. (It was then that I was thankful for the built-in dictionary offered by my Kindle.)

Dickens was smart and talented - but I'm not telling you anything that hasn't been said for 160 years. I felt the fear and the hatred that was conveyed about the French Revolution. I experienced the pain of the characters as they were rejected, imprisoned, and misunderstood. I really liked this book. I feel smarter and a wee bit more sophisticated for having read it.

I'm thankful that I didn't decide to make you suffer through do a comparison of Jane Austen to Charles Dickens. For me, A Tale of Two Cities cannot be compared to the love affair that I had with Pride and Prejudice . They are so different that I cannot stand them beside one another for evaluation. I'll let them keep there own unique place in my reading history.

I did it - A Tale of Two Cities crossed of my reading bucket list..I am so glad that I finished this book!

Here are a few others that took on A Tale of Two Cities for the tour:
The Story Girl (May 9)
The Time of Your Life (May 16)
Bread Crumb Reads (May 18)

Book Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Room by Emma Donoghue

Hardcover, 336 pages

Little, Brown and Company (September 13, 2010)

Source: 

I received a copy of this book for my participation in the Manic Mommies Book Club

Summary from the author's website:

ROOM (2010) is the story of a five-year-old called Jack, who lives in a single room with his Ma and has never been outside. When he turns five, he starts to ask questions, and his mother reveals to him that there is a world outside. Told entirely in Jack’s voice, ROOM is no horror story or tearjerker, but a celebration of resilience and the love between parent and child.

My Thoughts:

Unlike most books, I did not read a synopsis of Room before I started the book.  I heard all of the buzz and critical acclaim for this novel, and looked forward to the opportunity to read it.  On a trip to Houston this year, I tossed it in my bag and found myself completely engrossed from page one.  It was the fastest three-hour flight that I had ever experienced.

Told from the perspective of a five-year-old, Room was really breathtaking.  It took me several pages to adjust to Jack's perspective, but once I understood the approach, I was hooked.  Donoghue's ability to convey very adult situations using both Jack's description, as well as dialogue between Jack and his mother was very interesting.  Admittedly, I found myself imagining the world through my daughter's eyes - with limited vocabulary and limited understanding of human motives, a child's abilty to describe their world is very simple, but often very enlightening.

It is difficult to offer a fully critique of Room without providing any spoilers, but in order to really enjoy the book I think that it is crucial that the reader not know what is going to happen.  Personally, I would have preferred that the first "part" had been extended, because this storyline felt the most real and raw to me.  However, I do appreciate Donoghue's approach to telling the story and understand the importance of exploring the emotions that occured during the second phase of the novel.

When I finished Room - on the flight back home - I wished that I had someone that I could have chatted with about the book.  It was such a powerful story and Jack's perspective made such a great impression upon me.  The novel is very deserving of the attention that it has received!

4 Stars!

Book Review: Helen of Pasadena by Lian Dolan

Helen of Pasadena by Lian Dolan

Paperback, 288 pages

Prospect Park Books (November 1, 2010)

Source: 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, for my participation in the Manic Mommies Book Club

Summary from the author's website:

Helen Fairchild, is leading a privileged Pasadena existence: married to a pillar of the community; raising a water polo- playing son destined for the most select high school; volunteering her time on the most fashionable committees. It only bothers Helen a tiny bit that she has never quite fit in with the proper Pasadena crowd or finished that graduate degree in Classics or had that second baby. The rigid rules of society in Pasadena appeal to Helen, the daughter of Oregon “fiber artists,” even if she’ll never be on the inside.

And then along comes a freak accident, killing her philandering husband and leaving Helen broke, out of her “forever” house, and scrambling to salvage her once-rarefied existence. Enter Dr. Patrick O’Neill, noted archaeologist, excavator of Troy, and wearer of adorable nubby sweaters. A job as Dr. O’Neill’s research assistant is the lifeline Helen needs to re-invent herself professionally, personally, and romantically. Helen’s world widens to include a Hollywood star, a local gossip columnist, an old college nemesis, a high-powered Benefit Chair, an unforgiving admissions director, the best real estate agent in the biz, and, of course, the intriguing Patrick O’Neill. While uncovering secrets about Ancient Troy alongside her archaeologist, Helen discovers something much more: a new sense of self and a new love.

My Thoughts:

Helen of Pasadena was a very enjoyable read.  I have to admit that I cracked up at the beginning of the book when the demise of Helen Fairchild's husband was explained.  Although the aftermath of his death left Helen in horrible circumstances, I was still pleased with the way that Karma stuck it to him.  Helen herself, was portrayed as a very strong woman - forced to pick her self up and recreate a life for herself, both personally and professionally.  She was fortunate to have very solid friendships to rely upon after her husband's death.

Lian Dolan was successful in weaving a bit of archeology into the story.  I'm always happy when I feel that I learn a bit from a novel, instead of it being self-indulgent.  In all, I found the story very well thought out, while it still managed to be a light and easy read.  I think that Dolan did very well as a first time novelist.  Her sense of humor was critical to making Helen of Pasadena a success.  I'm looking forward to reading future novels by this author!